Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 1 (commonly abbreviated as Jasta 1) was a fighter squadron of the ''

Luftstreitkräfte The ''Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte'' (, German Air Combat Forces)known before October 1916 as (The Imperial German Air Service, lit. "The flying troops of the German Kaiser’s Reich")was the air arm of the Imperial German Army. In English-langu ...

'', the air arm of the

Imperial German Army The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially referred to as the German Army (), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the leadership of Kingdom o ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Jasta 1 was founded on 22 August 1916, using single seat fighters drawn from First Army. It was one of the first wave of dedicated fighter squadrons founded as a result of

Oswald Boelcke Oswald Boelcke PlM (; 19 May 1891 – 28 October 1916) was a World War I German professional soldier and pioneering flying ace credited with 40 aerial victories. Boelcke is honored as the father of the German fighter air force, and of air ...

's espousal of massing fighter air power. Leopold Reimann scored the first of its 138 aerial victories two days later. It served on the Western Front until September 1917, transferred directly to the Italian Front to serve until March 1918, then returned to France for the rest of the war.

Aircraft

Jasta 1 was originally equipped with a melange of aircraft, including Fokker D.Is,

Albatros D.II The Albatros D.II was a German fighter aircraft used during World War I. After a successful combat career in the early '' Jagdstaffeln'', it was gradually superseded by the Albatros D.III. Design and development Albatros designers Robert Thel ...

fighters, at least one

Albatros D.I The Albatros D.I was an early fighter aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Albatros Flugzeugwerke. It was the first of the Albatros D types which equipped the majority of the German and Austrian fighter squadrons ( ...

, a Fokker E.IV, a captured

Nieuport 16 The Nieuport 16 C.1 (or Nieuport XVI C.1 in contemporary sources)The C in the designation indicates that it is a ''chasseur'' or fighter, and the 1 indicates the number of crew members. was a French World War I single-seat sesquiplane fighter air ...

Albatros D.III The Albatros D.III was a biplane fighter aircraft used by the Imperial German Army Air Service () during World War I. A modified licensed version was built by Oeffag for the Austro-Hungarian Air Service (''Luftfahrtruppen''). The D.III was flown ...

s, and

Halberstadt D.III The Halberstadt D.II was a biplane fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by Germany, German aircraft company Halberstädter Flugzeugwerke. It was adopted by the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' (Imperial German Army Air Service) and served through th ...

Commanding officers

Its eight '' Staffelnführer'' included

Hauptmann () is an officer rank in the armies of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It is usually translated as ''captain''. Background While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has, and originally had, the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literall ...

Martin Zander ''Hauptmann'' Martin Zander was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.The Aerodrome website page on ZandeRetrieved 13 September 2020 He was appointed to command one of the original German fighter squadrons, ''Jagdstaffel 1'' ...

Oberleutnant (English: First Lieutenant) is a senior lieutenant Officer (armed forces), officer rank in the German (language), German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces. In Austria, ''Oberle ...

Erich Hahn, Oberleutnant

Hans Kummetz Oberleutnant Hans Kummetz (29 April 1890 – 11 January 1918) was a World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories. Biography Hans Kummetz was born on 29 April 1890 in Illowo, then part of the German Empire but now in Poland. His ea ...

(on two occasions), Otto Deindl, Armbrecht (twice), Walter Korte, Bruno von Voight, and

Rittmeister Rittmaster () is usually a commissioned officer military rank used in a few armies, usually equivalent to Captain. Historically it has been used in Germany, Austria-Hungary, Scandinavia, and some other countries. A is typically in charge of a s ...

Kurt-Bertram von Döring Generalleutnant Kurt-Bertram von Döring (18 February 1889 in Ribbekardt – 9 July 1960 in Medingen (Bad Bevensen), Medingen) was a Nazi Germany, German World War II Generalleutnant of Luftwaffe. He began his career as a flying ace in World War ...

Personnel

Besides the experienced pilots transferred in from ''Abwehr Kommando Nord/Kampfeinsitzerstaffel B'', other two-seater pilots under ''1. Armee'' were also posted to the fledgling unit. Among the 18 aces in the World War I ranks were Hans von Keudell,

Kurt Wintgens ''Leutnant'' Kurt Wintgens (1 August 1894 – 25 September 1916) was a German World War I fighter ace. He was the first fighter pilot to score an aerial victory with a synchronized machine gun. Wintgens was the recipient of the Iron Cross and th ...

balloon buster Balloon busters were military pilots known for destroying enemy observation balloons. These pilots were noted for their fearlessness, as balloons were stationary targets able to receive heavy defenses, from the ground and the air. Seventy-seven fl ...

Hans von Freden Leutnant Hans von Freden (18 March 1892 – 30 October 1919) was a German World War I flying ace credited with 20 aerial victories. Early life and service Hans von Freden was born on 18 March 1892 in Berlin. As World War I broke out, he volunteer ...

, Gustav Leffers,

Walter Höhndorf Leutnant Walter Höhndorf (1892-1917) was a German pioneer aviator, test pilot, airplane designer and constructor, and fighter ace during World War I. He was credited with twelve aerial victories while flying for the Imperial German Air Service. O ...

, and Leopold Reimann. The squadron's casualties for the war were twelve killed in action, one killed in a flying accident, four wounded in action, and one captured.

Claims and victories

was Jasta 1's first ace, having claimed 13 victories while flying the

Fokker Eindecker The Fokker ''Eindecker'' fighters were a series of German World War I monoplane single-seat fighter aircraft designed by Netherlands, Dutch engineer Anthony Fokker.Boyne 1988 Developed in April 1915, the first ''Eindecker'' ("Monoplane") was the ...

before joining the unit. He claimed 6 more before being downed and killed by

Alfred Heurtaux Alfred Marie-Joseph Heurtaux (20 May 1893 – 30 December 1985) was a French World War I fighter ace credited with 21 victories. Later in his life, he joined the French Resistance during World War II, and survived imprisonment in Buchenwald death ...

Escadrille N.3 Escadron de Chasse 1/2 Cigognes (Fighter Squadron 1/2 Cigognes) is a French Air and Space Force (Armée de l'air et de l'espace) Fighter aircraft, fighter squadron (aviation), squadron currently stationed at BA 116 Luxeuil - Saint-Sauveur Air Bas ...

in September 1916. Vfw. Paul Bona claimed six victories December 1916—May 1917. He was killed in a crash in June 1917. Oberleutnant

achieved 7 claims in a year of command before being killed in combat with Camels of

No. 45 Squadron RAF Number 45 Squadron is a flying squadron of the Royal Air Force. The squadron, which was established on 1 March 1916 as part of the Royal Flying Corps, currently provides flying training using Embraer Phenom T1s and operates under the command ...

in Italy early in 1918. The squadron claimed 138 victories, with 107 of those confirmed.

References

;Bibliography * {{Jastas 01 Military units and formations established in 1916 1916 establishments in Germany